Applications like half bridge circuits use a body diode between a body and a drift zone in a semiconductor body of a semiconductor switching device as a freewheeling diode in the reverse mode of the switching device. In the forward-biased mode of the body diode holes and electrons injected into the drift zone form a high density charge carrier plasma that results in a low forward voltage drop of the body diode. A significant portion of the charge carrier floods an edge area separating an active area including transistor cells from a side surface of the semiconductor body. When the switching device changes from reverse-biased to forward-biased, the body diode changes from forward-biased to reverse-biased and mobile charge carriers are removed from the drift zone.
It is desirable to provide more reliable semiconductor devices.